Ballast remover



Sept. 18, 1951 .B. KERSHAW 2,568,156

- BALLAST REMOVER Filed June 12, 1946 s Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

P 13, 1951 B. KERSHAW 2,568,156

BALLAST REMOVER Filed June 12, 1946 5 sheets s e IN VEN TOR.

B. KERSHAW BALLAST REMOVER Sept. 18, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June12, 1946 Patented Sept. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALLASTRisMovER Royce Kershaw, Montgomery, Ala. Application'June 12, 1946,Serial No. 676,136

This invention is a ballast remover for use in reconstruction of railwaytrack bed, the primary object of which is to provide means ofcomparatively simple construction and operation for quickly andwithlittle effort removing the ballast from between cross tiespreparator to the removal and replacement of ties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tie bed cleaner .orballast remover which is capable of being easily and quickly applied toor removed from the trackway, which embodies a power unit for carryingout the ballast removing operation, which is featured by feed andadjusting mechanism for determining the depth of removal of ballast aswell as to determine the length of movement of the ballast clearingmechf anism. j A further object of the invention is to provide a tie bedcleaner or ballastremover involving a unit supported by a carrier to runupon the trackway, and involvingmechanism capable of 'being moved fromside to side of the track in order that the ballast may be clearedfromthe center to both sides of the track.

' With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which willappear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts,

all as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter,

illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out intlie claims;

In the drawings: Fig. '1 is a cross sectional view through aconventional railway track and -"illus'trating in end view a ballastremover constructed in accordance withthe invention,

Fig. 215 a top plan view of the. ballast remover, and fi- ,Fig. 3 iscaside elevation of the track andillustrating, also in side elevation,theballast remover of my invention.

The invention consists generally in a light .portable'carriageadaptedfor movement along iandupon the rails of a railroad trackandhaving mounted thereon power-operated, mechanism for clearing away orthrowing aside the ballast between ties of the railroad track. {Theballast clearer as a unit is of comparatively light weight 'so that itmay be applied to and removed from thetracks of the road bed easily andwith little difficulty. 'The clearer is. featured by simple :means foradvancing the'clearer mechanism as well as for determining the-depth ofoperation of such mechanism'upon the'. ballast, and als ii volves'astructure whereby the clearer mecha 4 Claims. (01'. 37-104) describedmore fully hereinafter.

"nism may be revolved or rotated upon the supporting carriage so as tooperate in either direction laterally of the trackway.

V More particularly, the supporting vehicle includes a body 4 of lightconstruction yet possess- This erally disposed axles 5 upon the ends ofwhich are secured flanged wheels 6 to engage and travel upon the rails!of the track.

Mounted upon the vehicle frame 4 and for horizontal rotation thereon isa skeleton platform represented generally at 8. This platform mayconsist of relatively light angle or channel bars secured together inrigid relationship by strut members or braces, and including a centralchannel member 9 pivoted as at I0 centrally of the vehicle frame 4. Theplatform in the present .instance is of substantially equal lengthwith'the vehicle frame 4 and may be slightly wider than 'the said frame,and includes end bars, in the form of channel members, I l.

These bars are parallel with one another and are disposed laterally ofthe vehicle frame and constitute spaced rails of a trackway, the purposeof which willbe Superimposed upon the skeleton platform and :supportedthereby is a carriage represented generally at l2. vThis carriageincludes spaced :parallel bars I2 disposed longitudinally of theskeleton platform, which bars have mounted ,thereon rollers or wheels [3to travel upon the .members I of the skeleton frame trackway. The .bars[2 project at one end beyond the skeleton platform 8 and rigidly securedto the projecting ends of said bars and extending laterall therefrom isa ballast clearer frame I4. This frame ,includes-spaced parallel bars Mat the extreme ;ends of which and depending therefrom is a .gballastclearer frame. bars I4 and disposed laterally thereof is an axle 'orshaft l8, secured to the ends of which are drive wheels orpulleys l9.

ballast clearer wheel or drum l5 mounted for .rotation upon a shaft l 6adjustably supported in the depending arms I! constituting a part of theMounted also upon the The shaft l8 also carries a sprocket or sheave 2I, over which passes a chain or clearer band 22 having ballast clearer'cleats 23 arranged thereon in spaced relation; the

band or sprocket 22 passing over the drum l5.

"The power wheels or pulleys l9 are driven by belts 24 extendinginwardly of the frame and passing around drive pulleys 25 secured to ashaft 26 supported by and parallel with the bars l2 of the carriageframe. A power source 2'1, such as an internal combustion engine orother type of motor, is supported also upon the bars l2 of the carriageframe, which motor drives the shaft 26. This shaft is equipped with aconventional clutch 28 operated by the hand lever 29 in order that thepower connection between the motor 21. and the clearer mechanism may bemade or broken as desired or required.

The clearer frame is equipped with means whereby the clearer mechanismat the end-thereof may be raised or lowered in carrying out the ballastremoving operation. The means for bringing about and accuratelygoverning this,

raising or lowering movement includes a supplementary roller frame 38comprising spaced pal: allel arms as shown in Fig. 2 straddling theadjacent rail or bar I l constituting a track element of the carriage.The inner ends of the arms 38 are pivoted as at 3| to the carriage framestructure, while a roller or wheel 32 is rotatably mounted at the freeends of these arms and rests upon the track element H of the carriage.Pivoted between the arms 3% and above the horizontal plane of the pivot3| and roller 32 is a trunnion block 33, through which extends athreaded shaft 34 mounted at its opposite end in a suitable bearing 35on the carriage frame and equipped at its inner end with a hand-operatedcontrol wheel 36. From this construction it is obvious that rotation ofthe hand wheel 35 causes the shaft 34 to rotate in the internallythreaded trunnion block 33 to cause the clearer frame to move up or downdepending upon the direction of rotation of the hand wheel.

The means for moving the carriage upon the trackway l l includes a pairof sprocket chains 37, one disposed at each end of the carriage frame.These chains are secured at their ends as at 38 to the extremities ofthe rails ll of the carriage trackway. The carriage at each endrotatably supports a pair of sprockets 39, the teeth of which areengaged with the links of the sprocket chain 31. From these sprocketsthe chain lengths project upwardly and pass over a sprocket 41] alsocarried by the carriage frame above the horizontal plane of thesprockets 39. The shaft 4! which,

supports the sprocket 4e has secured thereto a larger sprocket wheel 42over which passes a chain 43 in turn passing over a smaller sprocket 44secured upon shaft 45. The shaft 45 has secured to one end thereof anoperating wheel 46. It is obvious, therefore, that rotation of thehandoperated wheel 46 will cause the larger sprocket 42 to rotate,carrying with it sprocket 49 over which passes the feed chaindl.Inasmuch as the ends of this chain are permanently secured to ends ofthe rails H of the carriage trackway, the entire clearer frame will becaused to move along the trackway H in a direction governed by thedirection of rotation of the hand wheel 46. This particular chain andsprocket arrangement also assists in maintaining the traveling carriagesecurely upon its trackway.

In operation, the vehicle is placed upon the rails of the trackway to beoperated upon, and is positioned so that the clearer wheel will bedisposed above the ballast to be removed between ties. The clearer frameis moved inwardly of the vehicle preferably to the limit of its travelon the trackway ll, whereupon the depth determining hand wheel isrotated to accurately place the wheel l of the clearer mechanism. Themotor road-bed. As the clearer wheel approaches the adjacent rail 1, thecarriage frame is operated to lift the clearer wheel so as to clear thesaid rail, whereupon it is dropped so as to operate upon and remove theballast from the rail to the ends of the ties. When all ballast has beencleared in this manner, the platform may be rotated upon I the vehicleso as to position the clearer mechanism reversely, and when the clearerwheel has been properly positioned between the desired ties, it islowered and the operation proceeds to clear away the ballast from theopposite side of the road-bed.

It may be found desirable wherea considerable length of trackway is tobe treated preparatory to tie replacement, to maintain the clearermechanism so as to operate upon one side of the trackway betweensuccessive pairs of ties throughout the length of trackway to betreated,

after which the platform is rotated through degrees so as to operateupon the ballast at the opposite side of the road-bed, as will beunderstood. It may also be found desirable to maintain the track clearermechanism to operate without revolving the platform. This maybe done bybodily lifting the car with its supporting mechanism and reversing itsposition upon the road-bed. It is desired that the proportions of theclearing mechanism and the supporting frame therefor be such that whenthe clearer frame is retracted, that is moved to its limit inwardly ofthe trackway, the clearer wheel will be disposed substantially midwaybetween the rails of the road-bed. In this way, the clearer 'wheel willbe insured of reaching all ballast between rails, and what littleballast remains directly beneath and in the vicinity of the rail 1 maybe easily cleared away by hand.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have constructed a ballastclearer mechanism fully capable of accomplishing the various objectssought, which involves relatively few simple and readily assembledparts, which has its parts so constructed and arranged as to minimizethe opportunity for wear, breakage or derangement, which does notrequire the exercise of extraordinary skill or ability in its properoperation, which minimize manual labor in ballast clearing operations,and which will prove highly practical and efficient in use. i

I claim:

1. In a ballast remover, a vehicle, a trackway on said vehicle, acarriage movable on said trackway, a clearer frame secured to andprojecting laterally from said carriage, a roller resting upon saidtrackway and supporting said carriage, and means for rocking saidcarriage and the clearer frame on said roller.

2. In a ballast remover, a vehicle, a trackway on said vehicle, acarriage movable on said trackway, a clearer frame secured to andprojecting laterally from said carriage, a roller resting upon saidtrackway and supporting said carriage,

means for rocking said carriage and clearer frame on said roller,clearer mechanism carried the latter upon its supporting roller.

by said frame, and means for operating said mechanism.

3. In a ballast remover, a. vehicle, a, trackway on said vehicle, acarriage, a clearer frame secured to said carriage andprojectingf'aterally therefrom, a, roller supporting one en of saidcarriage, a second roller mounted on plates pivotally connected to saidcarriage suppo ng said clearer frame and spaced from said firs named'roller, both of said rollers resting 153 11 said trackway. and means onsaid carriage fo' ocking ge and resting upon said traokway, a plate pioted at one end to said carriage and having 1 DPOsite end disposedbeneath said frame, a roller carried by said plate and resting upon saidtrackway, a trunnion block carried by said plate, a screw shaft anchoredin said carriage and threadedly engaged in said trunnion block, andclearer mechanism carried by said frame.

' ROYCE KERSHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

